An investigation started by the Laval Police Dept. in August last year into the illegal trafficking of marijuana – including cannabis-infused candy – culminated in late March and early April with the arrest of several suspects, and search warrants executed at a home in Laval-Ouest and two dwellings in Chomedey.
In a statement issued on Friday April 8, the LPD said arrests and raids took place in Laval and in Montreal on March 26 and April 5.
Most of the contraband cannabis products were in the form of jujube candies infused with THC, the main intoxicating ingredient in marijuana.
Although cannabis and cannabis-related products are now legal across Canada when sold through licensed retailers, the products in question aren’t licensed for sale in Quebec.
According to the Société québécoise de cannabis (SQDC), the following cannabis edibles are currently unauthorized for sale here:
- Candies
- Desserts
- Chocolate
- All other sweet or savoury edible products deemed appealing to people under 21
The LPD said they were tipped off in August last year that there appeared to be connections between a number of different cannabis possession and trafficking files they had been working on, involving suspects living in Kanesatake and Laval.
The LPD emphasized that the seized cannabis products were considered illegal mostly because of improper labelling of THC content, as well as the fact that the colorful packaging was considered an inducement to children, who are especially vulnerable to THC and are not allowed to consume cannabis under federal and provincial laws.
The ensuing raids resulted in the seizure of large quantities of narcotics and related products, as well as a firearm and other materials considered to be instruments for committing crime. In all, five suspects were arrested.
The LPD noted that cannabis control regulations forbid the marketing of THC-containing candy products with more than 10 mg of the ingredient, while a sample of the seized products was found to contain 1,000 mgs of THC.
The following is an inventory of the products and materials seized by the LPD in their raids:
Narcotics: total value $388,527
- 60.2 kg of THC candy (packaged as though for children)
- 28.6 kg of dried cannabis
- 2.2 kg of cannabis resin
- 644 tablets of methamphetamine with the inscription « ICE »
- 46 grams of THC chocolate
- 17 grams of psilocybin chocolate
- 495 single-use vape containers with 98% THC
Firearms
- One 9mm Glock 17
- 2 high-capacity loaders
- 3 clips containing 10 bullets
- 241 9mm bullets in boxes
Miscellaneous
- $143,105 cash Canadian
- $9,352 cash U.S.
- 3 vehicles (value $132,000)
- $100,000 in materials of other kinds
